Functional and relaxed Scandinavian interiors are a solution for all times. Natural materials, elegant accessories and muted colors encourage relaxation and pleasant communication.
1. Norm Architects: house as part of the landscape
The Archipelago House project by Danish studio Norm Architects combines Scandinavian building traditions and Japanese craftsmanship. The facades of the house are covered with pine boards; wood also dominates inside. Contrasting with it is a modern self-leveling floor, the surface of which resembles stone in texture and color. The main living space is a two-height open space divided by a kitchen island. On one side there is a living room with a stunning view of the rocky hill with all its crevices and colorful mosses. On the other hand, the dining room opens onto an open terrace and in warm weather can be connected to it through sliding doors. The house is a container of natural materials and neutral colors, an extension of the natural landscape. Comparing interiors and landscapes, it is interesting to observe how the shades of rocks, moss, and dry grass seep into the living room, dining room, and kitchen.
2. Andreas Martin-Löf: apartments in laboratories
Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter has transformed the former laboratories of the 1896 Stockholm Pharmaceutical Institute into bright apartments with historical details. In the center of each apartment is a combined kitchen-dining-living space under a spectacular vaulted ceiling. Translucent curtains on thin black metal curtain rods provide an abundance of natural light without drawing attention away from the original windows. The palette was chosen to match the facade of the building – it is neutral light, with a wooden door, black awning and stair railings. Hence the shades of ivory and black marble, complemented by snow-white and graphic black details. The strict palette is softened by wooden furniture, enhancing the resemblance to old laboratories. The decor includes custom mirrors designed by Andreas Martin-Löf and lamps reminiscent of Bunsen burners.
3. Lotta Agaton: apartment in muted colors
The model Scandinavian interior Terra, created by the Danish gallery New Works in collaboration with the famous and successful stylist Lotta Agaton, and Lotta Agaton Interiors, arose as a reaction to the lockdown. A Scandinavian interior in the bustling center of Copenhagen is designed to provide an escape from the worries of the world around you, providing comfort and stimulation at the same time. To achieve the right balance between relaxation and energy, Lotta Agaton chose muted tones and warm textures. Soft shades of dusty olive and soothing gray combine with natural oak, textured wool and fluted glass to create a look that harmoniously unites people, objects and the environment.
4. Norm Architects: artistic mix
Created by Norm Architects in collaboration with Dux and Menu, the installation, titled “The Sculptor’s House”, is a subtle mix of contemporary Scandinavian design. An apartment in the center of Stockholm has become an artistic haven and meeting place for the artistic public. In the four rooms, in addition to recognizable pieces of furniture and lamps, you can see tactile sculptures by the British Nicholas Sharey, functional ceramic objects by Sofia Tufvasson and Atelier Armand, monoliths from Östersjösten limestone and marble and plaster skirting boards from St. Leo. The space has a clear geometry and is composed of modernist lines that blend perfectly with the classic details of the building.
5. TypeO: a hotel for a break from people
Micha van Dinther and Magnus Wittbjer, founders of design and content agency TypeO, opened a one-room hotel in Skåne, Sweden. TypeO Loft is located in a separate part of the traditional 1842 stone manor house where the founding couple live and work. Space of 50 sq. meters includes a living area and a specially commissioned Nordiska Kök kitchen, followed by a cozy bedroom and bathroom. Every element of the space was designed to showcase the landscape and encourage guests to slow down and enjoy a relaxing break. The interiors have been carefully designed to create a relaxed atmosphere. Clean lines and functional pieces reign here, many of which, from a vintage Togo sofa from Ligne Roset to tableware from Studio Vit, are available for purchase.
6. Tommy Rand: Architect’s House
Danish architect and developer Tommy Rand built a two-story house for himself and his family on the outskirts of the town of Aarhus in Denmark. The interior is based on the contrast of two primary colors: gray, like poured concrete or Norwegian slate (walls and floors), and golden brown (wooden elements). The best embodiment of this contrast is the spiral staircase, whose curved, sculptural form stands in stark contrast to the surrounding concrete walls. This contrast is not just decorative – it draws attention to the complexity of the design. The combination of concrete and wood gives the house a fresh and soft feel. The layout is determined by the volume of the building. On the ground floors there is a living room, kitchen and dining room, as well as a staircase, garage, two children’s bedrooms, an office and a bathroom.
7. Joanna Lavén and David Wahlgren: House of Designers
Joanna Laven, renowned Swedish stylist and designer, and her partner David Wahlgren created their family home, Villa F, near Stockholm. In the setting, the authors moved away from the Scandinavian cliché, which implies light wood and whitewashed surfaces. The house is filled with furnishings in deeper tones, with dark teak in the cabinets, doors, radiator screens, space dividers, balustrades and other details. Most of the parquet, the masonry of which is known in Scandinavia as “Dutch”, remained from the previous owners. New parquet has appeared in some areas. Wallpaper was abandoned in favor of paint. Joanna Laven’s signature style, in which there is an obvious penchant for combining furniture from different periods and styles, is also evident in her own residence: here you can see objects from the middle of the last century, and works of recent years.
8. Mar Plus Ask: apartment instead of supermarket
It’s hard to imagine that this aesthetically minimalist apartment in Berlin’s Kreuzberg was a regular Schlecker supermarket before it became the studio home of the architectural duo Mar Plus Ask. The interior exhibits Mediterranean and Scandinavian influences in the form of smooth plaster walls, three-meter-high oak window frames, and bespoke furniture including a log dining table. The spacious space, located in a 1900 building, has four-meter-high ceilings, poured concrete floors, and a private courtyard garden.
9. Home Studios: apartment for a family with children
Brooklyn-based Home Studios, a studio led by Oliver Haslegrave, has created stylish interiors in Manhattan. The family’s New York apartment is located in a building in NoHo, a historic neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, between the East and Greenwich Villages. The house uses a wide range of materials, but at the same time, it looks like a single whole. From neutral wall tones in living rooms to accent tiles in bathrooms, soft minimalism serves as the perfect backdrop for an art collection and contemporary design. The star of the show is Farrow & Ball’s Pointing paint – a white paint with a subtle reddish tint, complementing other colors – cream, copper, and sandy brown – chosen for their soft quality – all of which work together to increase warmth.
10. Daytrip Studio: home in shades of beige
Daytrip Studio renovated the Victorian townhouse Powerscroft Road II in Clapton, east London, creating an interior with a calm, elegant ambience. Flooded with soft light, the home has been redesigned to reflect the distinctive characteristics of the original structure. The designers note that the basement has been transformed to “create a spacious and bright lower kitchen and living area with a continuous polished concrete floor that flows effortlessly into the garden space.” The main color in the interior was beige and its shades. Warm, tactile materials are used throughout the home—Douglas fir wood, honed marble, lime-clad walls, and light-colored powder-coated metal. The designers explain that “the artful continuity of materials and finishes allows old and new to flow into each other.”
